Iran to boycott World Cup draw over lack of visa for federation president

• Iran among nations under restrictions issued by Trump

• Snub for Washington event deemed ‘unrelated to sport’

Iran are to boycott next week’s World Cup draw in Washington after the president of the country’s football federation was denied a visa to enter the United States.

A spokesperson for the Iranian football federation (FFIRI) described the decision to reject the visa application as “unrelated to sport” and the move raises the prospect of Iran withdrawing from the tournament altogether.